<p>I've been told to be a teacher since I can't find a job that I can do with only a degree in Math. Assuming that I follow that advice, is it really that simple to become a teacher? I mean, do they take anyone with a pulse even if they are pretty much unhirable everywhere else?</p>
<p>No. You’ll generally need to get your teaching credentials to work a public school, which is a year of more schooling/shadowing teachers. Your prospect of being hired is also much better with a masters in the subject (particularly for private schools).</p>
<p>Here we go again.</p>
<p>Walking down the only path I’ve ever known…</p>
<p>You have to go to school for another year or so to get your certificate. And being a teacher is far from easy- you have to want to be a teacher or you will fail miserably.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And by want to that means really, REALLY, dreaming about it every day and wanting to do nothing else with your life want to. Teachers put up with so much crap these days that it’s ridiculous, and they get paid pitifully for it. After seeing what my teachers went through and hearing horror stories from people I know who graduated and went into teaching, I could never teach. Unless maybe it was at a college level. </p>
<p>You’ll still have to go back to school and get a certificate. Also be warned that new teachers sometimes get stuck with the worst of the worst. If you join some kind of program like Teach for America you’ll be placed wherever they need you, which very well may be a city school system that’s the equivalent of a nightmare. Or at least that’s all I’ve heard from people who have become teachers. You have to be prepared for anything, literally anything, and you have to have the strength and passion to be able to get through it all. Our schools need teachers who are truly dedicated to helping our kids. Not people who are just settling for whatever they are able to get and aren’t going to take it seriously. </p>
<p>Plus, I would be miserable if I had to spend my life teaching a skill that I never got to use myself. </p>
<p>Who knows, maybe you are truly interested in teaching. Just make sure that you are…</p>
<p>Well no, the above arguments make perfect sense.</p>
<p>It’s just that people tell me that since I’m a math major I’m pretty much an idiot for not teaching.</p>
<p>But you guys are right, I would not survive as a teacher. I don’t want to teach and if I teach it’s because I couldn’t find a better job. October is right on with her/his comment about how bad it would feel to teach a skill one never got to use oneself.</p>
<p>You should really look to expand on your job search. Maybe you should even look into relocating to a city with more opportunities. Do some research to see where you can afford to go, and if you can’t afford it yet than just take ANYTHING that will let you save up money. Otherwise you’re going to be trapped in this problem forever.</p>
<p>I just googled “jobs for math majors” and quickly found articles about lucrative careers in the computer industry, working for government agencies like IRS, Dept. of Defense, etc, and many other possible jobs. I think people don’t look hard enough if they can’t find something they like…it just may take a little while in this economy. A math major is smart, if nothing else, so many companies will want you just for your potential!</p>
<p>There are many more jobs for math majors than simply teaching…Some of it depends on which school you go to and what opportunities you seek.</p>
<p>Some stats have lateral-entry programs… all you need is a BA/BS with >3.0 GPA.</p>
<p>It’s not your major’s fault you don’t have a job, it’s yours. Employers don’t hire degrees, they hire people.</p>
<p>"It’s not your major’s fault you don’t have a job, it’s yours. Employers don’t hire degrees, they hire people. "</p>
<p>then it’s my fault I am unlikable.</p>
<p>My calc 3 professor advised the whole class to stay away from the education career path. He told us that it involves more than just teaching but involves relationships with students and becoming a mentor to them. The juice is not worth the squeeze.</p>
<p>Sent from my HTC HD2 using CC App</p>
<p>In SC there’s the PACE program where you have a BA/BS degree in a subject and then spend three years teaching in the public schools at the same time as taking credentialing courses on the side. I think a lot of other states have this program as well.</p>
<p>Also, at private schools, they may not even require certification. A lot of my teachers weren’t certified. They had bachelor, masters, and doctorate degrees, but I’d say most of them weren’t certified by the state to actually teach.</p>
<p>But if you’re not interested in teaching, then don’t go down that route. I had a math teacher who clearly did not enjoy teaching and it showed to the students. Same thing happened for a science teacher. Both were gone within a few years. On the other hand, I had many, many teachers who loved what they did and they were better teachers for it.</p>